38 Weeks

Well, today we are 38 weeks pregnant! I woke up with a chest cold this morning but after some Tussin DM, lots of fluids and rest I feel a lot better and will go back to work tomorrow!

But on to the news you really wanna hear….

Not much to report but good, normal, boring stuff (which I’m not complaining about!!!!) Charlotte looked great on her ultrasound this past Monday. Everything was normal and perfect!! We got the number to call for the day of our induction just to call and make sure they have a bed ready for me (should I not go into labor between now and then – then being February 1). Jason got to go to this appointment with me, which was pretty awesome!! He doesn’t like being in the room when they “examine” me though ha ha. He asked if he should just wait out in the hall and I asked him what he thought he was going to do when the baby is born… it was funny. He stayed in the room. We round out that I haven’t made any more progress dilating. Still at 2cm and about 85% effaced, but my cervix is now front and center (where it needs to be for birth). So she said it could be any time now, but I could also be like this until they induce me. Boo!

We have our LAST OB APPOINTMENT next Monday. Since I will be induced the following Tuesday, they don’t need to see me again in the office. I’m pretty excited about that!!!

Lastly… we served Charlotte with an eviction notice tonight. I hope you enjoy the picture below.




I you can't read the note, it reads:
Charlotte Renée Maddox:

This is your final notice. You will vacate the premises within 13 days or be forcibly removed by induction on February 1st, 2011. While we hope it does not have to come to this, we will resort to whatever means necessary to hold you in our arms and love on you. We hope we can settle this matter in a timely manner. We Love you sweet pea!!!!

Your Loving Parents,

Lacey & Jason

37 Weeks!! FULL TERM!

We have reached one of the final and possibly most important mile stone in pregnancy as of today! Charlotte is now considered FULL TERM and ready for life on the outside! I’m so excited since this is a milestone I was told I probably wouldn’t reach in this pregnancy due to the complications I had. But thanks to God, determination, and lots of sitting on my butt, WE MADE IT!!

Well… we’ve had a very busy past two weeks filled with decorating the nursery, my baby shower (which was beautiful!!), and trying to prepare ourselves as best as possible for what’s to come with a new baby!

So here’s what’s been going on with Charlotte and doctors visits:

At my 36 week appointment they discontinued all weekly monitoring (ultrasounds and NST’s) because everything has cleared itself up!! That’s right! Sub-Chorionic bleed is practically gone, amniotic fluid levels are normal and Charlotte is doing GREAT! I have to get re-scanned next week though just to see where we are at for size and just to make sure the placenta isn’t doing anything crazy! If that goes well, then I won’t be seeing Charlotte again until she is in my arms! So bitter-sweet! Anyways, this weeks appointment was all normal. We just did the standard belly measure and listen to the heartbeat and since we’re in the last few weeks, I now get a weekly cervical check (ugh! I’m not a fan of this). I’m now 2cm dilated and almost completely effaced. Charlotte’s head is “as low as it’s going to get until you are pushing.” Doctor said she wouldn’t be surprised if I went into labor any day now, but on the same token I could walk around like this for weeks and not go into labor. We have set a tentative induction date of Feb. 1st. If I have not gone into labor already. I was kinda disappointed. I was hoping they would induce me by like next week, but no such luck. On the bright side though, at least I know I won’t be one of these woman who go to 41-42 weeks! OMG! How miserable is that???

In Mommy news:
I went and saw a cardiologist yesterday about some sharp shooting chest pains I’ve been having. After a thorough examination, an EKG, echocardiogram, and ultrasound of my heart it was determined that my heart is “perfect” and they think the pain in my chest is due to a pinched nerve! Yaaay! I can deal with that as long as the ol’ ticker is still functioning properly and I’m “cleared for takeoff” (or at least for labor and delivery!)

Well, that about sums it up for now!! I will post some pics of my baby shower and what not when I get home today.

Lot’s of Love!
L & C

35 Weeks!! Update!

35 Week Belly! (& Stretch marks ha ha)


So my ultrasound and NST for Monday got canceled due to the inclement weather we had. And WOW! Did we have some weather!! 12 ½ inches of snow in my yard! Absolutely CRAZY!! I never thought we would get so much snow!!! Any-hoo….

Monday night I started having cramps in my lower abdomen. I thought I had pulled a muscle in my stomach since sometimes if I switched positions it would go away, but come back later. Needless to say, it was a pretty sleepless night for me. On my way into work Tuesday morning the doctors office called to reschedule my appointments. When I told them about the cramping they told me to come in immediately. They did an NST as soon as I got there since I had mentioned that Charlotte hadn’t been as active as she normally is. After about 30-45 mins on the machine Dr. Jordan comes in and reads my strip from the monitor and says, “the baby’s heart rates and fluctuations look great. She’s not distressing during your contractions, which are coming about every 10-15 minutes with some smaller Braxton Hicks and uterine spasms in between.”

Whhhhhooooaaaaa!!! What???? Those cramps are contractions? Awesome! I must be about to go into labor!!! (Which I ask her about…) And she then informs me that “Well, maybe and maybe not. I can predict that about as well as you can right now!” She then proceeds to tell me that this can go three ways: The contractions could get closer together and stronger, they could stay about the same and last for weeks, or they could stop all together. Also, she said she couldn’t help me progress my labor until at least 37 weeks unless Charlotte was in distress, which she is not. After that she decided to “take a peek” since I haven’t had an internal exam since I was admitted to the hospital back in October and we found out that I am 1 ½ cm dilated! However, this is not very exciting news as most women in their last couple months of pregnancy sit around 1-2 cm dilated. Lastly, they squeezed me in for an ultrasound before they allowed me to leave just to make sure the placenta was doing okay and see where her fluid levels were. I am happy to report that she is back in a normal fluid range! Yaaay! She is also about 5lbs 8oz and a healthy happy baby!! While my sub-chorionic bleed is still there, it’s still small and not affecting her ability to grow! Heck, I think she will definitely be bigger than me when I was born. I was 5lb 13oz when I was born at 37 weeks. I’m only 35 and she’s gaining almost a whole pound a week!!!

In Mommy news however, I have dropped five pounds since my appointment last week. Doctor said when you start to drop weight despite the baby gaining weight, it usually means labor is drawing near.
Exciting!!

Well, I must begin my work day now!  I didn’t get much sleep again last night thanks to contractions, and of course 45 mins after I found a comfortable sleeping position.. it was time to get up for work. Oh well.. better luck tonight! I did sleep A LOT over the Christmas weekend though, must have been my body telling me “rest now, because you’re not going to be getting much soon!” But still, if you can squeeze some prayers in for me for some sleep, I would greatly appreciate it.

Love you guys!

Lacey + Charlotte

PS Below are some pics from Christmas and the snow storm we had!

Weeks 32-34, Christmas ETC

32 Weeks

33 Weeks (She dropped!)


34 Weeks! Almost there!



Holy Moly it’s been a while since I’ve updated this thing!!

Well MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! Santa was SOO good to me and baby Charlotte this year! I will post pictures of her awesome presents! I would go through them all and thank everyone, but for the sake of time…I’ll just post some pictures later ;-)

Other than that, Christmas was wonderful!! We got to spend lots of time with my HUGE family!! I’m so sad we couldn’t spend at least part of it with Jason’s family, but next year that will be different! I would have loved to have gone down to GA, but it’s just not a great idea to travel in your third trimester! They will be up here soon though as Charlotte’s delivery approaches!!

Speaking of Charlotte, here’s what’s been going on the past couple weeks:
I was told at 30 weeks I had low amniotic fluid, so we started weekly ultrasounds and NST’s to check on my fluid levels. Well it appears Charlotte has over compensated for this and now my levels are a little high. (who knew you could have too much?) So they are going to continue to monitor m e, but other than that baby Charlotte seems to be a healthy, happy baby who has been unaffected by any of the complications I’ve had. I was also told at my last appointment that if I go into labor anytime after 34 weeks (which is what I am now) they would NOT stop it. But if I have NOT gone into labor by 37 weeks, we would talk about inducing me. With my little Subchorionic Bleed, they don’t want to risk my placenta “aging” too much and separating during labor, so the best way to do so and avoid a C-Section at the same time is to induce around 37 weeks which is what I will be January 12th. So, it looks as if I will only be pregnant for about 3 more weeks!! THANK GOD! I am SOOO unbelievably uncomfortable! And Jason and I are both so ready to hold her! Our only request right now is that I don’t go into labor until after this blizzard we’re having right now is over!
So Monday Charlotte was about 4lbs and 13oz, which is exactly a pound lighter than I was when I was born. She was about 20 inches long and doing GREAT!!! Great heart rate, great muscle tone, and she was again taking lots of practice breathes! So she is ready for life on the outside. Her lungs of course could use a little more maturing as they don’t reach full maturity until 37 weeks, but if born now she would likely not need any assistance breathing. I have another ultrasound and NST on Monday. I’ll try my best to remember to update this then!!

I hope everyone has had a very MERRY Christmas!

Lots of Love!!
Lacey & Charlotte

31 Weeks

Well, today I had my 4th Ultrasound of this pregnancy! I actually got to the results back today (amazing, I know!) So here are the highlights:

• Subchorionic bleed has gotten SMALLER!!!! Yaaaaay!!
• Charlotte is approximately 3lbs and 12oz!
• Based on her Hadlock measurements, she is in the 22.4% for fetal growth, which is good!
• Everything (anatomical survey, measurements, etc..) was right on target!
• She is still (and will likely stay) Vertex (head down) which is good for delivery purposes!
• She scored a PERFECT 8 out of 8 on her Biophysical Profile, which monitors and scores fetal movement, breathing (practice breaths), tone, and amniotic fluid volume.

I’m so proud my daughter scored a 100% on her first test ;-) even if she didn’t know she was taking one!

As you can see, everything is going pretty darn well!!! My subchorionic bleed is smaller, which is awesome news. I guess all that sitting on my butt is FINALLY paying off! I FINALLY had an appointment with Dr. Jordan and WOW I love her!! She (very thoroughly) went over the ultrasound with me and my mom (Jason couldn’t make it due to work). Answered all my questions and questions I didn’t even know I had! She spent at least 30 mins with us. After finally having a real appointment with her today, I really have no preference as to who shows up for the actual birth. Both her and Dr. Grimes are great and I trust them completely.

Back to the ultrasound results though:

So only one small negative from my Ultrasound today, I’m a little low on amniotic fluid. Not so much so that it raises a red flag to them, but enough that from now until I give birth they will be monitoring me weekly with ultrasounds and non-stress tests (NST’s) to make sure it doesn’t get below a certain level. If it does, they will want to induce me.

We talked about birth a little bit at my appointment today. We talked about my complications and my want for as natural a birth as possible, but we also went over the reasons in which they would do a C-Section or induction. All reasons seem pretty fair to me, given my complications. One thing she said she absolutely would not let me do is go past my due date. The reason being is the placenta is like any organism and it ages making it more likely to have an abruption if we go past my due date. I don’t think I will argue with her too much there!! While I would like to avoid induction or Cesarean, I also would like to get my daughter here as safely as possible so I should probably just shut up and trust my doctors!

Anyways, That’s all for this week folks! Next Monday will be a busy, busy day! BPP Ultrasound @ the doctors office @ 1:00, NST @ 1:30 then 3D ultrasound @ 7:30pm!! I can’t wait for that one!! We finally get to see who she looks like!!! You can start placing your bets now ;-) but she’s totally gonna look like her Momma <3


Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Lot's of Love
Lacey + Charlotte

30 Weeks Down 10 More to go!

One of these days I’ll be able to say not much has happened since my last blog post… not today though!

My Dad came home from Hawaii Tuesday, which was great!! I went to surprise him at the airport and after that things got a little messy. In short terms.. here’s what happened:
Left airport > Got rear ended > After cops got there, store we were waiting outside of got robbed > Car cut off on me on the interstate (But immediately restarted) > Spent 2 ½ hrs in the doctor’s office >Me and baby (and car) are 100% fine!

There you have it… just another day in the life of Lacey. Luckily… the rest of the week was pretty quiet. Thanksgiving with the family both Wednesday and Thursday was great! I love my family so much!! They definitely give me a lot to be thankful for! Friday I went to work for a little while then hung out with Jason for the rest of the day… Saturday my dad started on Christmas Decorations. I literally went and took a shower and came out and my house was semi-decorated and the tree was up and light! Amazing! Also, Saturday night I had the chance to go out to dinner with some unusual suspects: My cousin Kevin from MD, his daughter Abby (who has grown so much in the past year!!) My Uncle Robert, Aunt Elsie, and cousin Neil (whom I haven’t seen in YEARS except for at his Dad’s funeral, which doesn’t count!) It was nice to have dinner with them all and catch up on how they have been and what they have been up to. They are all so excited about Charlotte. It was nice to see my distant family so enthusiastic about my little girl.

When I got home Saturday night, I wanted my picture taken in front of the tree, which somehow lead to my dad drawing a web on my belly (Charlotte’s Web)and taking pictures of that! Oh the fun we have!!







Well, to wrap this up, let’s talk about what’s going on with Charlotte in this 30th week!
• Mommy’s lungs can no longer fully expand because Charlotte is pushing up against them making Mommy feel out of breath all the time!! But no worries, Charlotte is getting plenty of oxygen and doesn’t even notice that I feel as if I’m suffocating.
• She is about 15.7 inches long and weighs about 3lbs!
• Her eyes and lungs continue to develop and mature.
• Her little feet have found my ribs and she definitely likes to poke at them causing me a world of pain!! Who knew those little legs and feet were so strong already???
• She’s very responsive to the outside world now! If there is a loud noise, or child crying or if I have the radio up, she starts moving about. She does however have a more defined sleep and wake pattern and lets just say, it’s not the same as mine! She’s pretty active every time I eat a meal, but she’s REALLY active whenever I’m ready for bed. I can see there are going to be some LOOONNNG nights in my near future.
• Lastly, she is starting to take practice breaths! I hope when we have our next ultrasound next Monday we get to see her doing this!!!

Well that’s pretty much it for now! I have an ultrasound next Monday (week from today – Dec 6th) So that will likely be the next time I update this thing! Also, I’m having my 3D Ultrasound 2 weeks from today!! Dec. 13th! So then the great debate as to who she is going to look like will finally be over!!

Weeks 28 and 29

Saturday November 13th was an exciting day!! I turned 23, it was my best friend Heidi’s grandparent’s anniversary as well as Jason’s parents anniversary, and I got to see my little girl kicking away on a big ultrasound screen! Jason, Chad and Mom all went with me to the ultrasound. I could sit there and stare at her all day moving around and it would never get old!!

After the ultrasound we went out to lunch at Red Robin’s for my birthday, then I spent the rest of the weekend at home on the couch because my tummy started bothering me after lunch. I think Jason and I might have picked up a bug cause he wasn’t feeling well either!




So on to the results of the ultrasound:

After waiting for 5 LONG days, I finally got a call about my u/s results from the Nurse Practitioner (my doc was out sick and the other doctor in the practice drug her feet at reading the results)

Good News: Charlotte weighed 2lbs 6oz and put her EXACTLY where she is supposed to be in weight!! Yaaaay! Also, she is head down and starting to engage (drop) so she likely won’t flip back to the breech position.

Bad News: They informed my sub-chorionic bleed has gotten significantly bigger. Therefore, I have to be very vigilant about my modified bed rest! Otherwise, if I’m not at work, I will be at home in bed or on the couch with my feet up. I have to follow up with another ultrasound on December 6th to see how fast this thing is growing now that I’m nearing the end of pregnancy. We will probably have ultrasounds every other week when I have my OB check-ups from now on just to keep a very close eye on it now that we are nearing the end. Dr. Grimes called when he got back in on Thursday and after talking to him, he doesn’t want me to get too caught up on any idea yet until they determine how fast the bleed is growing, or if it’s going to grow anymore at all – but more than likely he is going to recommend a scheduled C-section to deliver baby Charlotte. It will likely be scheduled for the first couple weeks in January. We’re not going to start discussing it too much though until after the ultrasound on Dec. 6th.

Today I am 29w2d and here are some fun facts about Charlotte’s growth this week:

• Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature
• About 250mg of calcium is being deposited in her body everyday from mine to help harden her bones! So Mommy has been drinking lots of milk so she can have good bones, strong bones!! As well as a good and hard head like her Daddy ;-)
• Her head is growing to accommodate her growing brain
• She has definite sleep and wake patterns now. She’s typically very active first thing in the morning and any time for about 30 mins after I eat. She maybe up at the wee hours of the morning when I’m sleeping, but she typically seems to settle in for sleepy time when I do. She’s not as active late night as I’ve read most babies are.
• Her kicks are getting so strong and her little feet have found where my ribs are!
• By the end of this week, she should be nearly 3lbs and measure about 17 inches in length!

Well, That’s all for now folks! I can’t wait for next week and my Dad coming home from Hawaii! I have missed him so much! I also can’t wait for Thanksgiving and all the yummy food me and Charlotte get to PIG OUT on!

In the Spirit of Turkey Day though, I will end this blog with a few key things I have to be thankful for this year:
• A beautiful, healthy little baby girl on the way. I can’t wait to be a Mommy!
• Jason, for being my best friend and giving me a wonderful baby girl
• My family because they are all amazing. I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today without them.
• My mom for always being there for me. Especially holding my hair back when I puke or sitting by my bed all day and all night or in the wee hours of the morning at the Hospital. She’s done a lot of all of the above this year.
• God Blessing me with Angel’s to watch over me and my Baby Charlotte. (Miss you Grammy and Lolly)
• Having the blessing of a healthy child. Despite my pregnancy complications, Charlotte is a very healthy little girl. Not all my friends have been so fortunate this year, and watching them go through hard times has made me realize how precious life is and how there are no guarantees. It also reminds you to thank your lucky stars everyday when things are going good and not to take anything for granted.